Cyberbullying
by Smart Kira
Summary: This is just something that popped into my head.


"Today class I'd like you too write about what cyberbullying means to you" Taylor's teacher told her entire class one day. The entire class groaned including Taylor herself. Just recently Taylor herself was a victim of cyberbullying herself. So she decided to do her paper on other cases of cyberbullying and detail everything that happened including their tragic endings.

**Cyberbullying **

My thesis statement states that online bullying how it is a cause to school violence. In addition to its psychologically affects on its victims, like kids, teens, and adults. Plus you may not see the person nor can you see them. They might be someone half ways across the world or maybe even someone right next door. They don't even know how their words affect their victims nor do they care. You don't know even if they are friend or even foe. Sadly the internet connects us all with no end in sight.

Phoebe Prince was a happy 15 year old Irish girl, she and her parents to the U.S from County Clare . Phoebe's parents wanted to give their daughter a taste of the American dream. The trouble for Phoebe started at South Hadley High School as a freshmen, basically she wasn't popular enough since she was asked to the winter cotillion which is the big dance of the year by a senior football player. The popular girls thought that she didn't know her place so that's when the harassment started. They had a problem with who she was dating so they sent mean messages through texts, Facebook messages, and even at school too. Then one day as she was walking home from school the popular girls threw a energy drink at her and shouted more insults at her which caused her to go up to her room and hang herself in the closet, where her sisters later found her. Two people have been suspended, and more could be on their way to discipline.

Megan Meier was a beautiful young lady with her whole life ahead of her. She was only 13 years old and she suffered from low self- esteem and at the time of her death she was on medication for it. She then one day as many other teens do go on My Space, that's where she meet a boy named Josh Evans. Josh Evans made Megan feel like she was someone who was beautiful, sexy, she had a nice body and hair. But then one day Megan told her mother that Josh was being mean to her, that caused Megan to run up stairs to her room and hang herself with her belt in her bedroom closet where she was later found by her mother. She was barely cling to life, she died on the way to the hospital. It turned out that "Josh Evans" profile page never existed, but was created by Lori Drew. She did it because she wanted to see what Megan was saying about her daughter. So far there have been no convictions in the case.

Ryan Halligan was born in Poughkeepsie,New York, then he moved to Essex Junction, Vermont. Where he attended elementary school then later middle school that's when he began to get bullied. He never told his family about it. But one Christmas he told his father he wanted a Taebo Kick Boxing set to fight off the bully. But one day Ryan came home and told his family, he made peace with the bully. Then Ryan and the bully began to become close, so close in fact that the bully started spreading rumors about him meaning Ryan of being gay. All because of the stomach pains he was having at the time. This all took place after the end of his 7th grade year. Over the summer Ryan was getting cyberbullied by his classmates thinking he was gay, he didn't tell his parents about this either. But after his older sister found him hanging in the bathroom, he was only 13 years old. Ryan's father found all the messages that he got from his classmates and the bully. Ryan's father also found out that in his yearbooks that the bully crowd and the bully, was scribbled out. Ryan's parents also found a very crude drawing with a boy with a noose around his neck. There was no convictions in this case. He was also bullied because of a learning disorder.

Amanda Cummings was 15 years old, when she died from a suicide attempt. The injuries she got from jumping in front of a city bus. Amanda attended a high school in Staten Island. Where she was bullied by her peers because of a relationship she had with a 19 year old boy. When Amanda died she left tell tale signs on her computer. They were cryptic messages that showed that she was thinking about suicide or to put it in simpler terms die. It also showed that she was being distressed or at the end of her rope.

On a Facebook page made in honor to remember Amanda, family and friends could post anything to remember Amanda all the good times. As a result what showed up on Amanda's Facebook page was photoshopped images, sayings, videos, and even some pornography to mock the teens death. The page on Facebook belonging to Amanda was attacked by an anonymous group, I would simply call them hackers. The big name for these types of hackers are called "Internet Trolls." At the time of the incident Amanda was carrying a suicide note. There has been no convictions in this case.

Cyberbullying is a horrible thing,they basically attack anyone who is different then themselves. As the case of the Rutgers suicide, in New Brunswick New Jersey. That caused Tyler Clementi to jump off the George Washington Bridge, all because of a gay rumor. Dharun Ravi set a webcam up to catch Tyler with his male counterpart. After he did he sent numerous text messages to his friends.

Dharun's friends in turn told their friends and everyone else including themselves. To watch the webcam video of Tyler Clementi and his male counterpart together. That's when Tyler's peers began to tease him about beinging gay, which was all true. But what was really mysterious was that his parents never knew he was gay, they found that out after he died. Original there was no convictions, but there has been a development Dharun Ravi has been convicted. He will spend 10 years in jail, and then be deported back to India.

Resonantly as of now there have been a lot of Cyberbullying movies such as Girl Fight, Cyberbullying, and the Odd Girl, just to name a few. The movie called believe it or not Cyberbullying. The movies main character Taylor Hillridge played by Emily Osment. Taylor handled it by not talking to her friends and family, basically withdrawing from everyone. The situation Taylor was in before the cyberbullying started. Taylor is a good kid she is 17 years old, and is dealing with her parents recent divorce. She also knows about how low her popularity status in High School. Taylor's mother gives her a computer for birthday.

Taylor joins a popular social site to make new friends. But instead that's when she became a victim to cyberbullying and also betrayal. As Taylor begins to withdraw from her friends and family. Unable to face her peers at school, she is pushed to the breaking point. That is until she finds out that there are other people who went through the same thing, beginning bullied online. Taylor's mom reacted by taking on the school system, and even the state legislation to try and help other people. So they won't have to go through the same thing her daughter did.

The main character in Odd Girl Vanessa Snyder is a looked up to looked upon 8th grader, played by Alexa Vega. She handled it by at the end of the movie when Stacy tried to hug Vanessa in front of the entire eighth grade. Before they are about to fight, Vanessa pushes Stacy away by saying to her "You have nothing that I want." Stacy and her friends were spreading nasty rumors about and a lot of lies, the clique accused Vanessa of "back stabbing" Stacy. Which to begin with was not true.

Vanessa was in the popular clique with Stacy and her friends. This was the situation before the bullying started. After Vanessa shows her mother that "her friends" said about her hair. Vanessa's mother tries to talk to the principal, but no luck. She even tries talking to Stacy's mother Denise, but that only puts a more strain on Vanessa and Stacy's friendship. When Vanessa's mother Barbara finds some instant messages from the website the bullies made up about her who were tormenting Vanessa. Barbara sends them to the principal, as a result the culprits are as follows Nikki,Tiffany, and Ezra. Ezra is another girl who befriends Vanessa at the hospital. The principal said that if the culprits deny that they bullied Vanessa. That they would be expelled from school and not graduate. Vanessa told Stacy that "She has nothing that she wanted." Stacy stood there shocked as Vanessa began to move on in her life.

The movie on Lifetime Girl Fight is a true story about Victoria Lindsay. Who was beaten up by classmates for 30 minutes at a sleepover. For guess what just to make a YouTube video. What was shown in the movie is basically mild, and nothing compared to what really happened. The movie "Girl Fight" and what happened to Victoria "Tori" Lindsay is almost exactly the same. Except for the people who exactly bullied her in real life, compared to in the movie. The main character in the movie is Haley played by Jodelle Ferland. Haley handled it by not seeking revenge. In the movie the situation that Haley was an outsider, accepted into a popular group. Haley's situation before the bullying began is exactly the same situation that the real Victoria Lindsay was in, she got lured into the popular crowd. Haley and Victoria reacted by taking their so called "friends" to court,to face them and get some sort of justice.

There you have it cyberbullying is simply no good. What is mind boggling to me is why do they do it, what do the tormentors get out of it. It makes them feel power, but the end result is as always young lives are lost. Some just end up dead and some are still alive. The victims of cyberbullying could change the world, but they were never given that chance. That's why cyberbullying is not acceptable.


End file.
